Opposites Attract
by YeuxBleu
Summary: Positive and positive. Negative and negative. They just don't go. That's why Chouji and Ino make a pretty good couple, right? Please R&R! First fanfic! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Opposites Attract

"Chouji, do you ever think about anything besides your stomach?" Ino asked, grimacing at how fast Chouji was able to scarf down so much barbecue.

"Yep," he said with his mouth full of masticated pork.

"Oh, yeah?" Ino challenged, cocking her head slightly to the left and then raised a well-groomed eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know; you."

Ino, who had been sipping a small glass of water at the time, nearly choked as her breath caught in her throat. The liquid sprayed out of her lips like a dying fountain.

"You okay?" Chouji asked, his usually squinty eyes now opened as full as they could be.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ino coughed, hitting herself hard in the square of her chest with a fist. "It's just..._me_? You think about _me_?" Ino could barely believe her ears when she heard Chouji say so himself. It just didn't seem real.

"Well, yeah, how could I not?" Chouji asked. Now, he was taking smaller bites and eating at a slower rate than before. He was obviously trying to get something off of his chest. He didn't normally slow himself down while eating just to say something. "I mean, you spend so much time just perfecting everything about you. You're bossy, you call me names, you flaunt yourself like some kind of priceless masterpiece. It's hard not to think about you, _sometimes_."

Ino was starting to wish she had never egged him on. _That's what he thinks of me? I'm just a selfish girl in his eyes? _Ino sunk into her seat, which, being a booth, made her slip further than she had in mind. She was so far down that her head was on the bottom cushion, and her body was underneath the table. She was scrunched up against the warm grill that was built into the booth, but she didn't care. Her knees grew hot and uncomfortable, but she remained underneath the grill table. What did she care about Chouji's opinion, anyway? It's not like someone as unpopular or unfashionable as him could possibly have an _important_ opinion.

"Ino?" Chouji asked from where he sat, his body at least three feet higher than hers was currently. "Come back up, okay?"

Ino didn't feel like responding verbally, so she simply pulled herself back up. Leaning her back against the booth seat, she stared at Chouji as though his words meant nothing to her. The waitress came by and placed the bill on the side of the table, away from the hotter center. Ino didn't so much as glance at the undoubtedly expensive bill. Chouji took a peak at the total cost, brow twitching at the sight, then looked at Ino with a silly grin on his face. Ino was still looking at Chouji, calmly and collectively.

"So, what? You want me to buy you out again?" She asked, one brow raised in her perfect way.

"Please?" Chouji asked, the goofy grin still plastered to his face.

Ino smirked and grabbed the bill, roving her eyes over it without the slightest overreaction. She picked up her purse, which she had kept next to the wall the entire time, and pulled out her wallet, dropping a tip on the table, then went up to pay the hefty amount.

"That was the best lunch I've had in weeks!" Chouji declared, patting his full stomach as he walked alongside Ino down the crowded streets of Konoha. Ino grinned at him, keeping all of her sly remarks to herself. "Hey, Ino?" Chouji asked suddenly, looking at her with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Yeah?" Ino asked, looking back at Chouji with her sparkling cerulean eyes.

"Why'd you take me out to lunch, anyway?" Chouji asked rather bluntly.

Ino smirked, closing her eyes as she continued walking with him. "Because, Asuma-sensei and Shikamaru are out on a mission." She held her arms out to the side, her shoulders propped up delicately. "They're the ones that usually treat you, but since they can't, I took it upon myself as your teammate."

Chouji gave her a warm smile, but said nothing. He couldn't help but wonder if what he said back in the barbecue hut had affected Ino in some way. But, then again, Ino had decided to treat him to lunch long before the _harsh_ comment was made.

"Well, you know, I appreciate it." Chouji said in a low tone of voice.

"Yeah, I know you do." Was all Ino said.

After that, the two continued on in an awkward silence. Ino glanced over at Chouji, her eyelids only opened less than halfway. _Well, he's not ungrateful, that's for sure. _Ino thought, still looking at him. Chouji suddenly looked her way, and Ino _casually _turned her head in the opposite direction, humming an innocent tune as she waited for him to look away. She turned to look back, but he was still watching her. Her eyes wide, she looked away again, this time up at the clear blue sky looming carelessly above their heads. _Great, he caught me on my look-back!_ She thought with a pouting voice.

"Hey, Ino," Chouji said. Ino grew tense. Was he going to ask why she was looking at him? "Where are we going, anyway?"

Ino let out a silent sigh, then covered up her relief with a smirk. "Where does it look like we're going? We're going to the training ground, you goof."

"Huh? Why? We're not scheduled for any training today."

"That annoying guy, Neji Hyuuga, asked for me to meet him there." Ino said with a slight shrug of her boney shoulders. "Apparently, he wants to train. I don't see why he picked me of all people, though." She smiled at Chouji, her long ponytail floating gently in the breeze.

"Well, don't get beaten up too bad, alright?" Chouji said, returning her smile.

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Author's Note: I hope you like it so far! A bit of action is coming up, so if Chapter One didn't entice you, hopefully the next chapter will! Please review - positively :)


	2. Chapter 2

Neji Hyuuga was leaning against the center tree in the training ground with his arms crossed casually over his chest. His lavender eyes had been closed when he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching the grounds: one pair was light and hardly audible, while the other was heavy and shook the ground easily. "Glad you made it, Ino and Chouji." Neji said without turning around or even opening his eyes. Ino nodded to him in greeting, stopping where she was and then crossed her arms.

"Well, what did you want?" She asked, though in a sweet and polite tone. Neji wasn't the guy she wanted to anger.

"I remember your unusual technique from your fight with Sakura in the Chuunin exams." Neji stated simply. "I understand that was quite some time ago, but I would like to see your abilities in combat if you don't mind." He walked out in front of her, his lavender eyes locked onto her as though he could see right through her.

"That was almost three years ago," Ino said, smirking faintly. "But, if you really want to see the true power of my clan's jutsu, then be my guest."

Chouji, who flashed Ino a worried glance, backed up so that she and Neji could have the field to themselves. His back finally met the fence that lined the area, and he slid down it, crossing his legs as he watched Ino prepare to fight the Hyuuga prodigy. "You better win, Ino!" He cheered, a confident grin on his face.

Ino nodded at Chouji with a confident grin of her own. Neji smirked at her eagerness, and clenched his fists. "I hope you have a few new moves up your sleeves." He said smoothly. "Or else, this fight is mine."

"Bring it on, smart ass." Ino taunted with a smirk on her face. That seemed to really strike at Neji's nerves. He dashed directly at her, holding his arms out straight behind his body for an increase in speed.

Neji was faster than Ino had originally imagined, but _she _was the faster one overall. In only an instant, Ino disappeared and reappeared behind Neji. Being at such an advantage point, Ino wasted no time and began a full-throttle assault. First with her fists, then with her feet, then back to her fists, then with a few open palms, Ino punched, kicked, and slapped Neji sixteen times without any delays or pauses. Neji was knocked back a few good feet, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "How'd you like my 16-hit combo?" Ino asked, winking at the infuriated Hyuuga boy. He idly wiped a trail of blood from his chin and came at Ino again. This time, however, he was the one that landed the hits. With the tips of his fingers, Neji pecked at precise points on Ino's body. His fingertips struck at her shoulders, arms, abdomen, even her chest. Ino felt an unusual sensation take over her, and she fell to her knees, eyes wide open. Neji smirked.

"If that was all you had, then perhaps I had my expectations set a tad too high." Neji scoffed, taking a step back from her, crossing his arms.

"I guess I'll have to meet those expectations, then." Ino said with her head bowed. "This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it?" She formed a strange hand sign with her fingers, leaving an oval-shaped space in the middle. She positioned her hands so that the space was just above her heart. She suddenly looked up at Neji and shouted, "Ninpou: Shinranshin no Jutsu!"

Neji stood there, surprised at first, then entirely unamused.

"That's it? Hmph, how disappointing. Byaku---!" Before he could even use his kekkei genkai, he found that he was unable to move. "Wha-what? A trick? Ngh! What did you do?" He demanded, struggling to move his own arms and legs. Rather than by his own accord, they began moving independently.

"You were getting ahead of yourself." Ino stated, keeping her hand sign in place. "That technique I used was the mind-body confusion jutsu. Basically, you're like my puppet, now. Wouldn't it be best if you just gave up?"

"Whoa, go Ino!" Chouji shouted, cheering happily from where he sat. However, he too, was getting ahead of himself.

Almost unrealistically, Neji was just barely able to budge his right arm, causing Ino to gasp in shock. Neji, after about ten seconds, was able to get his fingers in place to form the hand seal that built up his chakra.

"I refuse to lose to you, Yamanaka." He said, more firmly than he should have been able to. "Byakuugan!" His lavender eyes grew larger, and veins sprouted from the corners of his eyes. Ino was very surprised. Her mind-body confusion technique was virtually unbreakable, but the Hyuuga prodigy proved that theory to be false. He completely shattered her technique and was now headed straight for her. Ino was too surprised to block or even evade. The next thing she knew, Neji's pulsating hand rested on her chest. A strong vibration was emitted from his palm, and Ino's entire body shuddered.

"Ino!" Chouji shouted, forcing himself to stand up, then ran over towards her, his Akimichi armor clanking as he rushed to her side. He knelt down beside her, placing his large hands on her shoulders. She was shaking uncontrollably. "What the hell was that for?" Chouji demanded, looking up angrily at the calmly standing Neji Hyuuga.

"Simple," began Neji, folding his arms again as though to distance himself from Ino and Chouji. "She showed me her technique, and so I showed her the superiority of my own kekkei genkai. It is obvious who the victor of this match was from the beginning."

"Neji, you shouldn't have gone so hard on her!" Chouji growled, lifting the incapacitated Ino into his arms. "You got lucky this time, but next time I see you, you're going down." He finished with a frown, then, bringing Ino in close to him, he ran off for the Konoha Hospital. Neji watched in silence, almost completely unphased by the entire episode.

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Author's Note: Okay, maybe some of you are thinking, "Sheesh, that was uncalled for!" and I apologize. But you know, if Neji and Ino were ever to fight, Ino would lose sooooo badly, and that's not easy for me to admit.


	3. Chapter 3

"Will she be okay?" Chouji asked, his eyes now filled with more worry than they've ever experienced.

"It's difficult to say," the medical nin replied. "She's taken quite a blow to her cardiovascular structure, and that makes the healing process a little tricky. She's asleep now, and I'll let you visit her before nightfall, but just let her get some rest for now."

Chouji nodded, and left the doorway of Ino's temporary room for the waiting room down the hall. _Ino..._ He thought sadly. _Please hang in there for me._ He sat down in one of the rather small chairs he found lining the walls in the waiting room, but the discomfort it brought him was easy to ignore. He thought back to when he and Ino went to the barbecue hut around noon that day, and he felt awful about what he said. The way he meant it wasn't the way that Ino took it. Those words...they were _complimentary_. He didn't know how else _to _compliment such a self-oriented being such as Ino. She had taken verbal abuse before, so why would someone like Chouji mean anything? He just simply could not understand.

"She's awake, now," came a voice from around the corner. The medical nin slowly walked into the waiting room, looking down at Chouji through her permanently sad eyes. "You want to see her, don't you?"

Chouji didn't waste time with words. Instead, he ran straight to Ino's room. The door was marked **315**, he remembered, and that door was near the center of the hallway. He skidded to a halt when he just barely passed the room, then backed up and poked his head in. Ino was flat on her back, and her eyes were closed shut. _I thought she was awake? _Chouji thought, then stepped inside. Ino stirred when the sound of Chouji's weighty footsteps reached her ears.

"Chouji?" She asked, her voice hoarse and almost unfamiliar. She cracked open one of her eyes and allowed its perfect blue orb to drift over to where Chouji stood. Ino smiled, and whispered, "No flowers?"

"Oh, sorry," Chouji said, blushing. He walked up to her side, looking down at her in concern. "How are you feeling?" He asked, his eyes scanning her body. She no longer wore the tight, sleeveless, purple button-down, or the fishnets that covered her elbows. Even the petite barrette that held a lock of hair away from her face was missing. Ino was now dressed in a standard hospital gown, and she pulled off the look so well.

"Not so well," Ino whispered, a sweet smile on her face.

"No, don't say that." Chouji said, taking one of her delicate pale hands into his large ones. "You're going to be fine.

Ino raised an eyebrow, though, it didn't go as high as it used to. In her weakened state, she could barely keep it up for long, and it was shaking the entire time she held it. "I never said I wasn't _going to be _fine, it's just that I feel awful right now." She smirked. "I'm sure I'll be fine, too, Chouji."

"Oh, right," he stuttered, releasing her hand and turning red.

"What?" Ino asked, her usual voice beginning to come back to her. Chouji didn't realize he was staring at her until she asked him that.

"Nothing!" Chouji gasped, looking up at the ceiling instead.

Ino gave him a warm smile, then snuggled down comfortably in her crummy bed. She closed her tired eyes for a moment, then opened them again, finding Chouji staring at her again. "You know," she began, and Chouji turned red again. "I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow." She paused, smiling casually at his anguished expression. "I'll expect a grandiose bouquet, alright?"

"But, I thought you were recovering right now?" Chouji asked, unconsciously placing his sweaty hand over hers.

"They need to take a look at my ticker," Ino smiled, pulling her hand away from him so that she could tap her index finger on her chest, directly above her 'ticker.' "When they listened to it, they said something sounded just a little off. I'm sure it's no big deal."

Chouji admired the blonde girl that sat in the bed. He remembered when he was the one in the bed, after he came back from the mission to retrieve Sasuke nearly three years ago. He remembered that he was impatient and raring to go, and he was always ready for a bite to eat. And now, Ino was the one who would undergo surgery. She was calm, yet spirited all at the same time. Her time at the hospital was the opposite of Chouji's. _The exact opposite. _

"Yeah, no big deal." Chouji repeated, though his heart didn't fully believe it.

"You don't seem too convinced." Ino said flatly, frowning up at him.

"I'm just being a pessimist, that's all." Chouji replied.

"Hey," Ino smiled. "Leave the pessimism to me."

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Author's Note: Trying to stick with the title, and I hope it worked. Are you guys liking it so far? I hope so... :)


	4. Chapter 4

"_Will she be okay?" _

_"It's difficult to say...she's taken quite a blow to her cardiovascular structure, and that makes the healing process a little tricky..."_

Ino was in the hospital. Her chest was cut open, and specialized medical nins were doing their best to regulate the damage in her heart. Chouji was with Shikamaru and Asuma. The two had just recently returned from their mission, and Chouji was left with the burdensome responsibility of telling them about Ino's condition.

"That Ino has more fighting spirit than I do." Asuma said in a reassuring tone as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. "She won't let herself die in an operating room, that's for sure."

"But, Asuma-sensei," Chouji said, looking at his feet, which were dangling above the water from the hot spring below. "Neji hit her with full force in the _heart_. That's a difficult thing to mend, right?"

Asuma brought the cigarette back to his lips, propping an elbow up on the bridge's rail. "You don't have a lot of confidence in her, Chouji."

"Asuma's right," Shikamaru said, his arms over the railing of the bridge as he looked down at Chouji, who was sitting on the stone with his feet through the rails. "Fighting to stay alive is troublesome, I know. But, Ino's not going let something kill her without her consent. She gets everything she wants, and she'll probably die the way she wants, too." Shikamaru said, a smile coming to his lips.

Chouji nodded, but couldn't think of anything to say. His friends' words were more than encouraging, and he glanced in the direction of the Konoha Hospital.

"Let's go see her." Asuma suggested, pushing his back off the bridge rail. "If anything, we can send her some flowers." He smirked.

_Flowers._ Chouji thought as he stood up. _A grandiose bouquet. _"We should stop by the Yamanaka flower shop." He said comfortably.

The Yamanaka flower shop wasn't too far from the Konoha hot springs, and since Asuma offered to pay for two flower bundles, Shikamaru decided to tag along. When they arrived at the shop, Chouji and Asuma jumped at the sight of the **Closed **sign.

"Closed?" Chouji sighed. "But, the lights are on!"

"Here, let me handle this." Asuma said, and gave the door a little push. It opened.

"Oh," Chouji muttered, watching Asuma walk inside.

"You two stay right there. I'll be back." Asuma ordered, letting the door shut behind him.

Inside, Asuma found a blonde man kneeling down, his back to the Jounin, arms moving back and forth.

"Hey," Asuma called, walking up behind the man.

"We're closed." He said, standing up. When he turned around, he immediately recognized Asuma and frowned. "What is it?" He assumed that his daughter's sensei had arrived as the bearer of bad news.

"We'd like to buy some flowers," Asuma said, crossing his arms. "We all figured Ino might appreciate them, you know?"

"Oh," The man said. "Pick out any you like; I won't charge you."

"But, Inoichi," Asuma started, but then closed his mouth.

"If they're for my Ino, I will not charge you anything." That was all Inoichi said, and then he headed to the back of the shop, and disappeared.

Asuma narrowed his eyes, but complied. He looked around the shop, and found some pre-made bouquets near the register desk. He picked out three, figuring any of them would suffice, and held them in his arms. He cast one final glance in the direction that Inoichi headed off in, then shook his head and left. _That poor guy's all worked up about Ino._ He thought as he pushed open the door to the outside.

"Wow, that was quick!" Chouji exclaimed, making a wide grin at Asuma.

"Yeah," Asuma sighed, handing each of the boys a bouquet of their own. "Come on; I don't want to be carrying this thing in public for too long."

"Agreed," Shikamaru nodded, his tone monotonous.

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Author's Note: Eek, is my 'suspence' working? lol, probably not!


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello, there," Asuma greeted the nurse at the front desk. "We're here to visit Yamanaka Ino. Is her surgery done?"

The nurse frowned; Chouji didn't like that frown. "I'm afraid," _ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump. _"She is resting now. The surgery was a success, but she'll be weak for a while. Are those flowers for her?" She asked, her sad eyes looking from one bouquet to the other.

"Who else?" Asuma asked, flashing her a toothy grin.

"Oh, and no smoking." She told him as she took the flowers from the three of them.

"But I'm not," Asuma muttered.

"No," she said. "But, you smell like cigarettes."

Asuma smirked and rubbed the back of his neck as the nurse headed off to Ino's room with the flowers. He, Chouji, and Shikamaru found seats for themselves in the waiting room.

The nurse entered Ino's room, surprised to find her awake. Ino's cerulean eyes floated over towards her, and the nurse replaced her look of surprise with a hardened scowl that she had been perfecting over the years.

"These are for you." She said, placing the three bouquets on a chest of drawers near the other end of the small room.

"Who sent them?" Ino asked, although she could only imagine three people that _would _send her anything.

"A pig, a donkey, and a _beard_." The nurse said, looking back at Ino just before she left the room. "Would you like me to send them in?"

Ino nodded. The nurse left immediately after, and Ino sighed. _A pig, a donkey, and a _beard. She couldn't help but giggle. Given Asuma's beard, Ino often pictured his animal to be a goat. Of course, Chouji was a butterfly in her mind, and Shikamaru was a deer. _Ino _was the pig, or a boar, rather. Although, despite her nickname being Ino-pig, Ino was almost the exact opposite of what people believe a pig to be. She rarely ate, and if she did, it was often a salad or something sort of diet food. At least Sakura's nickname was understandable. _Billboard-brow. _

"Ino?" There was a knock on her door, and it slowly opened. Asuma, Chouji, and Shikamaru stood in the doorway, and they all filed in one-by-one.

"How are you feeling, troublesome girl?" Shikamaru asked through his famous smirk.

"I'm alright," Ino replied, smiling at him. "Of course, I'll never get used to these stitches."

"That's too bad," Shikamaru frowned, noticing some of the woven thread come up to the base of Ino's throat. "It's a good thing they're not permanent."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Ino nodded, letting out a long sigh.

Asuma came up to her and rested a warm hand on her shoulder. "Chouji was worried sick about you." He grinned, looking at her fondly. He then removed his hand from her shoulder and rubbed his palm in her hair, messing it up.

"Hey!" She snapped, smoothing out her perfect blonde hair. It had been down, out of the ponytail that often kept it up. Asuma had once told her that she looked more radiant with a little hair in her face, and that's the story of why she keeps a single golden lock of hair out of the tail.

"It looks good down," Asuma said. He winked at her, which made her brow twitch a little, then stepped back so Chouji could see her.

"Were you nervous before the operation?" Chouji asked, smiling.

"Of course I was," Ino replied. "I didn't think my pulse could _get _that high."

Chouji laughed. "I look forward to seeing you up on your feet in a few weeks."

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Author's Note: One chapter to go!


	6. Chapter 6

Ino sat in bed alone, taking the time to think about that day, and the day before. She remembered Chouji's comment back at the barbecue hut, and frowned. After such a remark, why was he so worried about her? He couldn't _like _the fact that she was that way, could he? The way he described her was like picking out all of her bad qualities and pointing them out. _That's my job._ Ino thought, a scowl beginning to form on her face. How come Chouji was so nonchalant about it? He made the comment, then he was carefree. Did it really do him some good to say that? Was he trying to make a point? _No, I won't change for him. I like me the way I am. _She told herself, and it was the truth. She almost _loved _herself. She spent more than half of her life just _perfecting everything about her._ But that was who she was. Ino. _Perfect. _

The next day, Chouji came to visit, and he came alone. He brought more flowers, but he had them in a vase this time. Several of the flowers were acacias, which made Ino wonder if he had done that on purpose. _The flowers of concealed love. Chaste love. _Surely he hadn't known that. Who was the botanist around here, anyway?

"Chouji," Ino addressed him as he set the vase on the windowsill.

"Huh?" He turned around, nearly dropping the flower vase. Some droplets of water met their unfortunate end as they splashed onto the cold floor. "Oops."

"Do you remember yesterday, what you said to me in the restaurant?" She asked, her eyes focused on the wall across the room.

"What I said about _you_?" Chouji asked, turning red.

"Yeah, _that_." Ino muttered. "Why did you say _that_?"

Chouji felt his pulse quicken and his palms began to dampen in perspiration. Was he really about to admit his feelings for Ino? Or, was he going to call her out again?

"Well, to be honest," Chouji gulped, turning to face her. "I said them...because I _li-li_ke those things about you." By the time he was finished, his face was redder than a boiling tomato.

"You...you do?" Ino blinked, one eyebrow creased. Her heart gave one uncomfortable _thud _that made her gasp.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chouji asked, approaching her side.

"Y-Yes, of course; I'm fine." Ino stuttered, feeling Chouji's sweaty palm on top of her hand. She gently pulled away from him and stared up at the ceiling. "So, you mean to tell me that you have _feelings _for me?"

"I-I guess so." Chouji replied, his eyebrows creased.

"I see," Ino said quietly, closing her eyes. They were so different; Ino and Chouji. But you know what they say: "Opposites attract." "I think I like you, too."

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Author's Note: Alright, phew! I hope it was slightly romantic, or at least a little sweet. Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review, this is my first fanfic, so I hope it was worth the trouble! xD -BleuYeux


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